Welcome aboard: Kim Kardashian visits with Marines at sea

Channeling pin-ups of old, reality television bombshell Kim Kardashian paid Marines and sailors aboard the amphibious transport dock ship San Diego a visit just days before Thanksgiving.

The socialite-turned-celebrity-turned-businesswoman toured the ship, which is home to members of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and is stationed in Abu Dhabi, on Nov. 24. She occasionally posed for photographs and took selfies with some of the Marines aboard. True to her status as a social media maven, Kardashian later posted the shots to Twitter and Instagram where they quickly spread around the globe.

A photo of her planting a kiss on the cheek of a Marine, for example, has received more than 1,000 retweets and been favorite about 5,838 times.

“Kisses to the troops,” Kardashian wrote. “Thank you for all you do! [It] was an honor to meet you all!”

Other photos show her posing with aircraft aboard the San Diego and inspecting equipment before tossing a salute upon what appears to be her departure.

It was not immediately known who arranged the visit though Kardashian posed in front of a USO banner several times during her trip. She was traveling through the United Arab Emirates to market a new perfume.

“Thanks for visiting,” Navy officials tweeted back at her earlier today.